


and it's brighter than sunshine

by neoncrayolas



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Eddie has no idea what he's doing, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship, but getting there!, happy endings, like literally hours after, takes place right after 3x10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:55:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21816241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neoncrayolas/pseuds/neoncrayolas
Summary: “You got Christopher a present,” Eddie said quietly, still standing in the doorway.“Yeah…” Buck replied slowly, scratching the back of his neck.(OR the one where Eddie asks Buck to move in, but completely DOES NOT know what he's doing)
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 16
Kudos: 439





	and it's brighter than sunshine

**Author's Note:**

> This is most definitely not my best writing but...here ya go

Eddie was quiet as he sat in his truck, playing with a small box in his hands. He wasn’t sure if he was more nervous about the contents of it, or actually going upstairs to Buck’s apartment to give it to him. He knew the younger man was awake, he could see the lights on in his loft. And even if he wasn’t, Eddie couldn’t wait to give him the box.

Resigning himself to getting out of his truck, he made his way upstairs, knocking on the door before he could chicken out.

(He definitely would’ve chickened out if he’d just used his key to walk in, which he’s done thousands of times before.)

He _did not_ expect Buck to open the door with a pair of sweatpants slung around his hips, droplets of water running down his chest, ungelled hair hanging in his face.

“Eddie?” Buck asked in surprise. They’d just seen each other a couple of hours ago, at the last of the Christmas party – thankfully no other calls had come through, and they’d gotten to relax and spend the afternoon with their loved ones. Eddie had gone back to his _abuela’_ s house with Christopher, to celebrate at home – but Eddie couldn’t help the nagging feeling in the back of his head the whole night. Finally, he’d pulled his _abuela_ aside, to ask if he could run a quick errand. She’d patted his cheek, and for a split second, Eddie swore she knew what he was going to do.

He’d slipped out of the house before she could voice it out loud.

“…Eddie?”

Eddie realized he hadn’t said anything since Buck opened the door, just clutching the box in his hands, staring at Buck. He took a deep breath.

“You got Christopher a present,” he said quietly, still not fully stepping into the apartment.

“Yeah…” Buck replied slowly, scratching the back of his neck. “Was I not – I mean, I know the whole family Christmas thing was kind of the gift to everyone, but when I saw the fire truck, I knew he’d love it, and I just had to get it.”

Eddie didn’t reply, just stared at Buck, not quite believing the man in front of him was real.

“I’m sorry if I overstepped –” Buck started when Eddie still hadn’t said anything.

“ _No_ , god, Buck, you didn’t,” Eddie finally said, with a little more force than he meant to. “Can I – can I come in?”

Buck gave him a weird look. “Dude, since when do you ask if you can come in?”

Eddie mumbled something and brushed past Buck. Instead of sitting down at the kitchen island or on the couch, he started pacing.

“Uh, I should let you know, you’re starting to freak me out a little bit,” Buck said, going to sit down on the couch.

“You got Christopher a _present_.”

Eddie wasn’t sure why he was so stuck on that – he shouldn’t have expected anything less, he knew how much Buck cared for his son.

“Ooookay, are you saying I should’ve gotten you one too or…”

“No, but I got you one,” Eddie mumbled, finally giving up and going to sit next to Buck on the couch. He held out the box.

“What, are you proposing to me or something?” Buck snorted as he reached for it.

Eddie shoved at his shoulder lightly. “Shut up.”

Buck hemmed and hawed for a moment before finally taking the top of the box off.

His eyes went as wide as saucers and he looked up at Eddie, startled. “ _Dude_. I was kidding about the proposing thing.”

“It’s not a ring, Buck, god.” Eddie felt his face start to burn.

“No, but it’s a _key_ ,” Buck said in disbelief. He took it out of the box, looking at it like he’d never seen one before. “And if it’s the key I think it is, I mean, Eds, I already have –”

“I know you already have a key to my place,” Eddie said, and he scrubbed a hand down his face, before meeting Buck’s eyes weakly. “I guess…this is my present to you. It’s my half-assed attempt at asking you to move in. With me. And with Christopher.”

Buck stared at his best friend, mouth open.

“I just – Buck, we –” Eddie seemed to have trouble finding the right words, and then he decided _fuck it_. It’s Christmas. It’s a time of joy, of love, of _family_. “Buck, we love you. Christopher absolutely adores you, and come on, you spend more time there than you do here anyway.”

He stopped, took a deep breath. “I – _I –_ I’m pretty sure I love you, Buck. It gets confirmed pretty much every day, every time you look over at me, every time I see you with Christopher. Every time I see you give your everything to your job – your resilience, your – passion.”

Buck’s eyes were shining in a way Eddie had never quite seen them.

“Sounds like a marriage proposal to me,” Buck quirked.

“Oh my god, fuck _off_ ,” Eddie said, but he was grinning now. “You know, if I ever do propose to you, I’m literally just going to throw the ring at your face if this is how I’m going to be treated.”

Buck laughed, and Eddie was taken aback by the sound. It was a full-belly, out-loud laugh, and Eddie didn’t think he’d ever heard Buck laugh like that but knew instantly he wanted to hear it again.

“So what are you saying, you can’t live without me, Eddie Diaz?” Buck said teasingly, moving closer to Eddie on the couch, and Eddie felt his breath hitch.

“Something about being in love with you too, I think,” Eddie managed to smirk back, leaning closer.

It was Buck who finally closed the distance between them, pressing a soft, chaste kiss against Eddie’s lips, and suddenly Eddie knew that he never should’ve worried about whether or not Buck would feel the same, because as tame as the kiss was, Eddie could feel everything Buck was feeling, and Eddie returned the kiss with a little more fervor.

Buck pulled away, lips pink, eyes wide, still twinkling. “I am too, y’know. In love. With you.” He smirked. “Took you long enough to notice. What finally gave it away? The mistletoe?”

Eddie shook his head, leaning forward to press another kiss to Buck’s mouth.

“You’re a dork,” he whispered, pulling back this time and leaning his forehead against Buck’s.

“If you keep calling me names and telling me to fuck off, I’m going to have to veto moving in with you.”

Eddie beamed. “So is that a yes?”

“It’s most definitely,” Buck paused to kiss Eddie again. “A big yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from "Brighter than Sunshine" by Aqualung 
> 
> I have several longer Buddie fics I'm working on, including a ~series~, but this idea just jumped at me so I had to jot it down. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


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